The Other Side of the Proverbial Nest

June 20, 2016 By

The Other Side of the Proverbial Nest

by Amy Lignor

It is a fact that there are many good people (even if you don’t hear about them because of the horror shows bad people put on all the time) who want nothing more than to save animals in need. Which is great. However, there is another side of theproverbial (coin), but for this we will use ‘nest’ that people need to be aware of. A side that, once looked at, will show these great people that the best possible thing to do when wishing to save an animal is to head to your local shelter and bring a kitty or puppy home.

People find orphaned baby animals all the time. Wild animals, such as a baby bird, squirrel, or even a little bunny rabbit that, by one circumstance or another, have ended up all alone. People rush to rescue them and take them to a local preserve so they will be taken care of. But, when doing such a thing, results can be extremely negative for the animal.

One wildlife rehabilitation center (although there have been many in number stating this fact), recently said that many of the babies that are rescued and brought to them each year did not need rescuing to begin with. (Back to the Wild, Castalia, Ohio)

This particular nonprofit wrote than many rabbits and birds “found” were not actually orphaned at all. Deer, although not brought to the wildlife centers very often, are a perfect example. People mistake them as being orphans because, like all the smaller animals, fawns are left for hours by their mothers while the doe goes off and forages for food for her young. A baby’s instinct when noting by scent or sound that a person is close by is to freeze in place and not run away because they are waiting for their mother to come back. In instances such as this, people should not go near the creature, even if they believe they are alone; at the most, the person should try to keep the area clear until the doe or any of the other mothers return to their child.

Wildlife rehab centers try their best to reunite the critters with their families, but that reunion can be impossible, especially since many animals will stay away from the scent of humans. Which means, once a person touches one of these creatures, their mother may shy away from them for the rest of time because her own instincts tell her to. And no matter how good the wildlife center is, they will never be the best teacher for any baby animal. For the skills they need to survive, they most assuredly need their mother. Babies learn to avoid predators in the wild; they learn how to forage for food, as well as how to hunt and survive. In captivity, although this process can be simulated, cannot be made real.

When it comes to feeding a baby critter because a person believes it to be orphaned that, too, is a no-no. There is so much false and downright wrong information on the internet in regards to how to care for a baby squirrel, rabbit, etc., that many people cause the animal to become extremely ill by serving them the wrong diet. Something even as simple as water can be bad. Take birds, for instance. Birds are susceptible to aspiration – taking water into their lungs too quickly. And if an animal has been hurt, such as fallen out of a nest, and has internal damage, giving it any type of food or water could make things far worse.

In the end, unless a baby animal is in some sort of immediate danger, it is important to stay away from it and perhaps even call an expert for advice if not wanting to leave it alone and risk its life. But that doesn’t mean stop saving the precious animals out there. I can almost guarantee that a new “best friend” needs your help big time and is just waiting to be adopted at your local shelter right now!

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